


You Can Plan on Me

by BossToaster (ChaoticReactions)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Galra Keith (Voltron), M/M, Secret Santa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-24
Updated: 2016-12-24
Packaged: 2018-09-08 20:48:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8860561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChaoticReactions/pseuds/BossToaster
Summary: Keith didn't mean to hide it, not really.But now he can't anymore.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [HedonistInk](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HedonistInk/gifts).



> This is part of Voltron Secret Santa. Among other things, they wanted Shieth, Galra!Keith, Modern AU and angst with a happy ending. Hope you enjoy!

Keith had never meant to hide this for so long.

At first, it had been so small.  Easy to dismiss.  It had been glancing at his face in the mirror at night and catching sight of a slight glow.  Or it had been finding his hair sticking up in the back, and when he combed through it, realizing there was a dark purple undercoat.

At first, Keith had felt like he was going crazy.  Who suddenly grew fur on their head?  Whose teeth started to feel just a tiny bit longer and sharper every few weeks?  No one.  Keith had even googled it nervously, heart pounding in his throat, and gotten a lot of goofy paranormal stories and nothing else.

Keith had never meant to hide it, because he’d thought he was imagining it.  And then, when it didn’t go away, he hoped it would just stop on it’s own.

But it was starting to affect the rest of his life, now.  It had taken him nearly two weeks to realize the reason he kept getting odd looks at work was that his hair looked perpetually uncombed, now.  Keith had never thought about it, since mostly his hair just did whatever it wanted to, but now that included tufts of hair sticking up from the fluff underneath.  And eating was an issue with his teeth, because they kept scraping against his gums and tongue, leaving him with sores.

That, Shiro had noticed, if only because Keith had started wincing whenever they kissed.  But he’d believed it when Keith said he’d just bitten down wrong and given himself a cut, and kept his kisses to other places since then.

This, though?

There was no hiding this.

Keith stared at his bright yellow eyes in dismay, trying desperately to see if his normal eyes were under the glow somehow.  He could see the slight bumps of the irises, but there wasn’t a sign of pupils anymore.  How was he even seeing?

It wasn’t like Keith didn’t know he wasn’t normal.  Most kids didn’t grow back their teeth when they got punched in.  Most people had trouble seeing in the dark, and didn’t mind bright lights near as much as he did.  Most humans couldn’t hear down to the first floor and the TV show their apartment security was watching.

But it had never been something he had to deal with.  Until now.

“Keith?” Shiro murmured, knocking against the closed door.  “You okay in there?  It’s been a while.”

Glancing over, Keith double checked that the door was locked.  It was.  Good.  It wouldn’t stop Shiro if he was deeply determined, but it would keep him from walking in unannounced.  “I don’t feel well,” he called.  “Go without me.”

“That defeats the purpose of a double date,” Shiro replied slowly, but his voice was mostly concerned.  “What’s wrong?  Do you need something?”

Damn him for always wanting to help when Keith wanted to be left alone.  Gritting his teeth, Keith winced when that made his pointed canines dig into the gums.  At least this time he didn’t taste blood.  “I’m just going to sleep it off.”

“I’m not going to go without you,” Shiro replied simply.  “Seriously, I can’t take Lance and Hunk being sappy without backup. How about I run out and grab something for you.  Is it your stomach?  I can get ginger ale.”

“No!” Keith snapped, before he could help himself.  Panic clawed at his stomach, sharp as the teeth in his mouth.  In the mirror, he tensed, and he swore he could see the hair on his head stand up further.

He looked like an animal.

Taking a deep breath, he made himself pause.  “No,” he repeated, calmer this time.  “Go ahead and go out.  It’s not a big deal.  I just want to sleep.”

There was long silence.  “Keith?”  This time, Shiro’s voice was quiet and just slightly rough.  “I hope if something was wrong, you would tell me.  If I...”  He trailed off suddenly, and Keith could hear his breathing even out, too perfect to be anything but carefully controlled.

Damn.

“It’s not...”  Keith trailed off, closing his eyes and scrubbing over his face.  Slowly, he sank to the floor, then turned around to press his back to the cabinet.  “It’s not you,” he replied, honest as he could manage.  “It’s me.”

Shiro’s breath hitched, then stopped altogether.  “Oh.  I didn’t...”  Another pass, still without breath.  “If you need, I can... I can go for the night.”

Something about the wording made Keith’s brows furrow, especially combined with the pain in Shiro’s voice.  Why was he so rattled?

Then he reviewed what he’d just said and groaned.

“Shit.  Shiro, no.  I mean it’s literally me.  You didn’t do anything.  I...”  Keith bit his bottom lip, then winced.  Ow.  Okay, that time he definitely drew blood.  “Can you promise you won’t freak out?”

This time, the silence was more confused than wounded, thank everything.  “I can promise I’ll try,” Shiro finally replied.  “I don’t think I’m usually prone to freaking out.”

And that was true.  It was one of the reasons Keith loved him so much.  When Keith wanted to fly off the rails and give in to his temper and emotions, Shiro could put a hand on his shoulder and bring him back.

If there was ever a time Keith needed that, it was now.

He stood and took one last long look in the mirror, then opened the door.

Shiro was leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest and shoulders hunched in just slightly, probably from nerves.  “What’s wr-” Then he caught Keith’s eyes and froze.   _ “Oh.” _

“Yeah,” Keith replied softly, forcing himself not to close his eyes and hide.  “Oh.”

Stepping forward, Shiro cupped Keith’s cheek, painfully gentle.  He used his thumb to pull down Keith’s eyelid, peering carefully into it.  “Can you see?”

Keith swallowed hard.  “Yes,” he replied.  “Same as always.  It doesn’t hurt.  I didn’t notice until I saw in the mirror.”

“Ah.” Shiro nodded thoughtfully, as though Keith had admitted to having allergies instead of freaking yellow eyes.  “Okay.  Get in the car, and we’ll go to urgent care.”

Keith froze.  “What?  No.”

That made Shiro frown in confusion.  “Yes?  Liver failure can make eyes go yellow, we need to get you checked out.”

“First of all, I don’t care how many medical dramas you watch, that’s not how it works.” Shiro’s frown grew and opened his mouth to argue, but Keith pushed on.  “And anyway, it’s not the only thing.”

Eyes wide, Shiro paused.  Then he groaned.  “Your mouth.  You’ve had cuts on your lips lately.”

Keith opened his mouth, letting Shiro see the elongated canines.  The thumb slipped inside his mouth.  It always made him shiver, but this time it was in disgust when Shiro brushed over a tooth.  He pulled back slightly so he could talk without stabbing his lover’s finger.  “And my hair is different.”

“You said you got new shampoo,” Shiro muttered, but he didn’t sound surprised anymore.  Instead, his brow was furrowed.  “That was weeks ago.”

Shrugging, Keith looked down at his feet.  They looked normal.  Would they stay that way?  “I’m used to hiding weird things about myself,” he admitted.  The words felt awkward in his mouth, reluctant to come out.  But he might as well go all in.  “I’ve always been this way.  I can hear your heartbeat from here.”  And at the words, Shiro’s heart thumped, louder and faster, as if to test him.  

When he looked up, Shiro’s eyes were wide and wild in a way they hadn’t been for just the eyes and teeth.  “Always?  It’s been  _ years.” _

“Yes,” Keith admitted.  “It was never important.  It was just... there.  I don’t usually think about it.  I always thought I was... I dunno, a mutant or something.”

Now he wasn’t so sure.  But if there was anything like him, Keith had never heard a word for it.

Swallowing hard, Shiro took a step back.  The sudden cold where he’d been made Keith shiver, and the hairs on his arms stood up.  “Years,” Shiro repeated slowly.  “And you never trusted me?”

“It wasn’t about trust!” Keith shot back.  “I just... it didn’t feel important.”

Shiro stared at him.  “I see.”

Silence again, this one more strained than any of the others.

“I don’t know what you want to hear,” Keith admitted.  “Is there something I’m supposed to say, now?”

Shiro shook his head, eyes closed.  “No.  There isn’t.”  And that sounded so painfully final that Keith’s chest tightened.  “I need... I need air.  Let me call Lance and Hunk.”  He let out a snort.  “They’re going to chew me out for skipping our last chance to hang out before Christmas.”

Damn.  Right.  They were flying out to visit Lance’s family, since Thanksgiving had been with Hunk’s.  It would be a solid couple of weeks before they saw them again.

Once upon a time, Keith would only be relieved at that.  Now it felt weird.

Not as weird as the way Shiro was looking at him. Like he didn’t know him.

“Sorry,” Keith replied, because it sounded like the right response.  And because he was sorry for putting that look on Shiro’s face.

Nodding, Shiro closed his eyes.  “I know.”

And then he turned and walked out.

Keith watched him go, hands clenched at his side.

His eyes burned, but no tears fell.

He wondered if his tear ducts still worked.

***

At first, Keith paced the apartment, too full of nervous energy to settle.  He ran his fingers through his fluffier hair, gripping like he was going to rip it all out and try to start over from scratch.  But instead he just held on and focused on his breathing.

Keith kept checking the time every several passes, glancing into the kitchen to see the clock on the oven.  Time passed achingly slowly.  Five minutes.  Then seven.  Ten, finally.  Fourteen.

After that, he did push ups and sit ups, trying to distract himself with the physical sensations.  Keith wanted desperately to lose himself in the zone like he usually could, focused completely on his body and the exertion.  But it didn’t work when he couldn’t focus for more than a minute at a time, and eventually he gave up, sprawling out on the couch.

Shiro still wasn’t back.

None of their movies sounded interesting, and everything they had recorded was saved to watch together later (with a couple of exceptions, but nothing would make Keith desperate enough to watch  _ Say Yes to the Dress, _ thank you).  So he eventually resorted to actual channel surfing, skipping through every few seconds.  Commercial, commercial, shopping network, cop show, sports, commercial.

After two cycles through, Keith gave up with a disgusted groan.  Tossing the remote onto the table, he curled up tightly and pressed his face into the pillow, like if he hid himself for long enough, all the strange things would go away.

What if Shiro wasn’t coming back?

Keith’s fingers dug into the pillow, hard enough that he could hear the fabric creak. What if it was too much?  Already, Shiro dealt with so much of Keith’s messes, from how many things flew over his head to how he lost his temper so often.  Maybe this was the final straw?

After all, he’d never said he was going to return.  Just that he was going out, and he’d cancel the double date.

All because of these stupid, stupid eyes that ruined everything.

Stomach twisting, Keith dragged himself out of his curled position to go look at the clock again.

An hour, now.  More, actually.

And the knob finally turned.

The relief was so strong that Keith stumbled, nearly crashing to his knees.  He turned in time to see Shiro locking the door behind him again, and that...

“Where’s your coat?” Keith demanded.  “It’s December in  _ Boston.” _

Pausing, Shiro turned to look at him, blinking slowly.  “I didn’t think about it,” he admitted.  “And then when I was out it was too weird to go back in, so I just went on the walk anyway.”

Keith half-stormed over, all the frustration and fear bubbling over.  Because this he could deal with.  Shiro was here, and he was an idiot who thought everywhere in the world was like Southern California until reminded otherwise.  Keith always prefered the problems he could do something about, even if they didn’t accomplish much in the end.

Taking Shiro’s hand, he hissed at how cold it was.  Keith wrapped it in both of his, rubbing, his brow furrowed and problems temporarily put aside as he focused.  “Can you even feel them anymore?”

Freezing cold fingers cupped Keith’s cheek, and he went still.  Slowly, he met Shiro’s eyes, and then winced when he remembered what he’d been seeing.  

Shrio leaned down and kissed him.

“I’m sorry,” he told Keith, voice quiet.  “I shouldn’t have left.  I just needed to think.”

Sighing, Keith shook his head.  “It makes sense.  All things considered, an hour to take in all I’ve lied to you is pretty reasonable.”

“That’s the thing,” Shiro murmured.  “You didn’t.  Well, okay, you have the past few weeks. And I’m annoyed at you for that.  But for the rest of it?  I know you.  I  _ know _ you.  It wasn’t a lie.  I just needed to double check.”  He kissed Keith again, a longer, firmer press.  When Keith licked over Shiro’s lips, he could feel the chill, and how Shiro shivered from how hot his mouth no doubt felt.

Pulling back, Keith caught Shiro’s eyes again, managing a smile.  “Yeah.  You do know me.  I’m just glad you came back.”

“I left my wallet here on purpose,” Shiro told him, voice fond.  “And my car keys.  I was coming back.”  Then, after a moment, he pressed a kiss to Keith’s forehead.  “And you were here.  So I was coming back for you too.”

Damn him for just being able to  _ say  _ that stuff with a straight face.  Grabbing at the back of Shiro’s neck, Keith pulled him in for a proper kiss on the lips.  “Good.  I don’t want you to leave.”  But then he paused, shoulders slumping.  “But I don’t know what to do now.”

“Well,” Shiro murmured.  “First I have coffee and hope I didn’t break my fingers from the cold.  Then I spend the next hour clinging to you until I forget I agreed to take a job in a place where it regularly snows and I have to deal with that, preferably while catching up on TV.  After that, I’m going to text Lance to make sure he’s stopped sulking.  Hunk sends his love and tells you to feel better, by the way.  Past that, I’m hoping to take you to bed tonight.”

Keith snorted at the carefully laid out schedule.  “That’s not what I meant.”

Shiro only shrugged.  “After that, we’ll figure it out.  It happened just this afternoon, so maybe it’ll go away again?  Who knows.  And I’ll call Pidge and see if I can’t get better research than what we can pull up on google on our phones.”  

Pausing, Keith frowned.  Pidge’s name tugged at him, suddenly pulling his mind in a new direction.  “Shiro?”

“Hmm?” Shiro hummed, already puttering over to the coffee maker.

Keith leaned back against the counter, watching him.  “Do you think... maybe I’m not a mutant.  Maybe I’m not human.”

“What else would you be?” Shiro asked, brows up.

Shrugging, Keith glanced up.  “I dunno.  Maybe... maybe like bigfoot.”

Shiro choked, then coughed.  “Don’t you need big feet for that?”

“It’s just a name, Shiro.  Don’t be so literal.”  Keith rolled his eyes.  “Or maybe I’m an alien. Who knows?”

Suddenly freezing, Shiro curled in on himself, and his shoulders jerked, then again.  For a moment, Keith thought he’d pushed too far, but then he let out a snorting laugh.  “Talk about close encounters,” Shiro snickered, barely getting the words out.

Keith groaned.  “Oh god, stop.  I avoided Lance’s jokes tonight, don’t do this to me.”

Shiro only grinned as he poured himself a cup.  “So I shouldn’t make any probing jokes?”

“Not if you want company tonight.”

That made Shiro waggle his brows, hiding his smile in the lip of his mug.  “Even if I tell you you’re out of this world?”

Keith scrubbed over his face.  “I regret telling you.”

But when he dropped his hand, Shiro was suddenly right in front of him.  Leaning down, he kissed Keith softly.  “I’m glad you did.”  And his eyes and smile were so warm that Keith felt like he was the chilled one, melting in response.

“I’m glad I did too,” Keith admitted.  Despite everything, it was true.  Now that Shiro was on the same page and helping toward a solution, Keith just felt  _ better. _  “Alright, TV time.  Lead the way, Captain Kirk.”

That pulled a frown out of Shiro.  “You know, he really didn’t sleep with as many aliens as pop culture says.  Just because of those movies-”

“No,” Keith interrupted.  “No way.  If I’m an alien, I’m calling this culturally insensitive.  No  _ Star Trek _ talk.  I’ll watch anything that isn’t sci-fi, just stop.”

Perking, Shiro’s brows jumped up.  “Anything?”

Which was how Keith found himself watching  _ Say Yes to the Dress _ after all.

All things considered, with Shiro grumbling about ugly dresses and annoying relatives, being a solid form against Keith’s side, he couldn’t say he minded.


End file.
